DraftKings and FanDuel MLB Picks for Wednesday 7/3/19 Now’s your chance to get DFSR PRO, which will give you access to our MLB and NBA optimizers and our new player lab! Get started for free by clicking the button below. START YOUR FREE TRIAL NOW! Pitchers Chris Sale FD - P 11200 DK - SP 11800 Opponent - TOR (Undecided) Park - TOR FD - 43.33 DK - 25.05 It has been a love/hate relationship with Chris Sale this season. I absolutely love the K upside as he has tallied double-digit totals in nine of his last 11 starts but hate that he gets touched up at times and has given up six or more hits in three straight vs. the Orioles, these Blue Jays, and the White Sox. The young Jays lineup has been much better lately but still striking out 24% of the time over the last 14 days and are well below average against lefties with a .303 wOBA, 89 wRC+, and 24% K rate in the split. The price is near its peak for the season on both sites but Sale is arguably the best pitcher on the slate(honorable mention to Buehler & Strasburg) and should be considered in all formats. John Means FD - P 8600 DK - SP 8400 Opponent - TB (Yonny Chirinos) Park - TB FD - 23.3 DK - 11.58 For value on the slate, I will once again turn to John Means who is having an incredible start to the season and will represent the Orioles at the All-Star game. He has held opponents to two or fewer earned runs in 10 of his 13 starts(3, 3, 4 in the other three starts) and he appears to be massively overperforming(2.50 ERA/5.14 xFIP) not all regression stats agree. Looking at the Baseball Savant data, you can quickly see why I don't think he will regress as much. He is allowing a low 87.5 mph exit velo(272nd), 32% hard contact rate, and even the xwOBA only sits at .306 on the season and it comes down to his elite changeup that he throws 27% of the time. I will be using him as my SP2 in all formats on DraftKings and if you like to load up on bats, he can also be considered in all formats on FanDuel(I prefer GPP tonight). Also Consider: Walker Buehler(LAD) as a GPP pivot in the top tier or Yonny Chirinos(TB) as another value option  Catcher/First Base Freddie Freeman FD 4400 DK 5200 Opponent - PHI (Nick Pivetta) Park - PHI FD - 13.88 DK - 10.52 Coors Field slates tend to make things interesting from an ownership standpoint, especially when there have been 82...

DraftKings and FanDuel MLB Picks for Thursday 6/27/19 Now’s your chance to get DFSR PRO, which will give you access to our MLB and NBA optimizers and our new player lab! Get started for free by clicking the button below. START YOUR FREE TRIAL NOW! Pitchers Early Aaron Nola FD - P 8700 DK - SP 10700 Opponent - NYM (Zack Wheeler) Park - PHI FD - 31.74 DK - 17.29 The pitching on the early slate is not great so I will turn to the most talented pitcher in Aaron Nola. He has struggled early this season with a 4.55 ERA  but the good news is that he sits with a 3.84 xFIP and both his xwOBA(.324) and xSLG(.412) are lower than his wOBA and SLG. He has also sustained an above-average strikeout rate(25.6%) and while the matchup is neutral at best, Nola is my core pitcher in all formats considering the other options and the reasonable price tag. Main Stephen Strasburg FD - P 9800 DK - SP 11900 Opponent - MIA (Sandy Alcantara) Park - MIA FD - 41.5 DK - 22.73 We get just four games on the main slate but get two aces to choose from and one is the clear choice for cash games and he isn't playing in Coors Field. Both pitchers are early -175 favorites on the road but Strasburg gets the edge facing the Marlins in a game with the lowest total on the slate. That same Marlins has struggled to score runs all season(29th overall) and has been just as bad lately scoring just 45 over the last two weeks(3.2 per game). While they have been slightly worse against lefties in wOBA and wRC+, they have struck out close to 5% more against right-handed pitching. I will have exposure to Strasburg in all formats. Also Consider: Walker Buehler(LAD) as a contrarian GPP pivot going into Coors to face the Rockies Catcher/First Base Early Freddie Freeman FD - 1B 4200 DK - 1B 5400 Opponent - CHC (Tyler Chatwood) Park - CHC FD - 10.98 DK - 8.33 There is no line for this game at the moment but I would bet(lol) the Braves will be -140 to -160 road favorites and love the spot for their offense today. It starts at first base with one of the most consistent and productive players, not only at his position but in all of baseball. With his in 19 of 23 games in June, he entered last night with an elite .311/.398/.593 slash line with 21 home runs and 61 RBI. He now faces a pitcher in Tyler Chatwood who is getting another spot start and he has really struggled against lefties...

DraftKings and FanDuel MLB Picks for Wednesday 6/26/19 Now’s your chance to get DFSR PRO, which will give you access to our MLB and NBA optimizers and our new player lab! Get started for free by clicking the button below. START YOUR FREE TRIAL NOW! Pitchers Early Chris Sale FD - P 11500 DK - SP 11600 Opponent - CHW (Reynaldo Lopez) Park - BOS FD - 43.93 DK - 25.34 James Paxton FD - P 9300 DK - SP 9000 Opponent - TOR (Trent Thornton) Park - NYY FD - 38.06 DK - 21.16 The early slate is loaded at pitcher and these two lead the way in my rankings. Despite being the most expensive, I definitely prefer Sale today at least in cash games as he has been much more consistent with a 3.59 ERA and elite 2.99 xFIP(3rd overall behind Cole/Ryu). He also comes with a ton more upside as well striking out 10+ batters in nine of his 12 starts and sits with a crazy 35% K rate and 14.1% swinging strike rate on the season. He now faces a White Sox team that may be slightly better against lefties but are still slightly below league-average and strike out 24%. For Paxton, while his season seems a bit disappointing, is mirroring his 2018 numbers with the Mariners.  He enters today with a 3.75 ERA/3.81 xFIP and is striking out 30.5% with a 14.2% swinging strike rate. The Jays young offense has been much better as of late which makes it a no-go in cash games but for GPP's, I love the upside as the projected lineup is striking out over 26% of the time against lefties this season. Also Consider: Trevor Bauer(CLE) as a GPP pivot Main Patrick Corbin FD - P 9800 DK - SP 10600 Opponent - MIA (Zac Gallen) Park - MIA FD - 36.03 DK - 19.44 It has been a roller coaster first season with the Nats as he has flashed top of the rotation stuff but has also been terrible at times. After a rough road trip where he went 0-3 allowing 16 earned runs, he returned home in his last start and was brilliant allowing just four hits and one earned run across seven innings while striking out eight. Overall, his numbers(3.90 ERA/3.97 xFIP) aren't where they were in Arizona but are still above average and while he goes back on the road, he gets one of the best matchups on the board. The Marlins don't strike out as much against lefties but have been one of the worst teams in baseball this season when looking at run production so I will be rostering Corbin as a big...

DraftKings and FanDuel MLB Picks for Saturday 6/22/19 Now’s your chance to get DFSR PRO, which will give you access to our MLB and NBA optimizers and our new player lab! Get started for free by clicking the button below. START YOUR FREE TRIAL NOW! Pitchers Hyun-Jin Ryu FD - P 10600 DK - SP 11500 Opponent - COL (Peter Lambert) Park - LAD FD - 41.47 DK - 22.87 On the main slate we could see cash game ownership pushing 100% tonight. With three games pushing totals over 10 on a five game slate, you really don't have a lot of palatable options. Me? I'm going with the herd and playing Ryu. While he's not a household name, Ryu has been every bit of an ace this season. His sub 9 K/9 isn't anything to write home about, but his .48 BB/9 is the stuff of legends. If math isn't your thing, that's a single walk every 18 innings. He just doesn't let people get on base for free. This incredibly efficient approach has yielded a delightful 6.64 innings pitched per start, which is a beautiful thing for both his fantasy point totals and his ability to snag a win. I love grabbing pitchers against the Rockies when they are on the road, and the nice pitcher's park here is just icing on the cake. Like I said, this is one of the easier plays in recent memory. Mike Foltynewicz FD - P 7700 DK - SP 6400 Opponent - WSH (Anibal Sanchez) Park - WSH FD - 24.89 DK - 12.77 There's no way to sugarcoat it, this year has been an incredible disappointment for Foltynewicz. That stands in stark contrast to last year's dream season, where he added 1.6 K/9 and shaved almost a full run off his xFIP. He ran hot with a .251 BABIP allowed, but he was still very much an above league average pitcher. This year it's all gone sideways. The K rate is back under 8 per 9, and his HR/FB rate has more than doubled, which is why his ERA and xFIP are both dramatically suffering. It's weird, though, because his fastball is still averaging 95.2 miles per hour, and his walk rate has actually decreased. I don't know that he'll get back to 10 Ks per 9, but I do believe he can at least be a league average pitcher, and on this slate? That means something. The Nats have a below average wOBA against righties this season, and even though they're a little healthier that's about as good as we can hope for in the pitcher two slot tonight. Also considered: Masahiro Tanaka, if you don't trust Folty....

DraftKings and FanDuel MLB Picks for Thursday 6/20/19 Now’s your chance to get DFSR PRO, which will give you access to our MLB and NBA optimizers and our new player lab! Get started for free by clicking the button below. START YOUR FREE TRIAL NOW! Pitchers Walker Buehler FD - P 11400 DK - SP 10500 Opponent - SF (Madison Bumgarner) Park - LAD FD - 39.49 DK - 21.46 With the Dodgers lead in the division sitting in double digits, we are likely going to see some limitations on the pitching staff down the stretch but as for tonight, all systems go! Buehler has been outstanding this season with a 3.06 ERA and supporting 3.44 xFIP while averaging 5.9 innings/92.6 pitches per start. The upside(26% K rate) isn't that of other elite pitchers but he limits baserunners with a low 4% walk rate and elite .92 WHIP. Tonight, he gets a plus matchup against a Giants team that has struggled offensively all season but has been even worse lately ranking dead last in wOBA(.269), wRC+(65), and ISO(.108) over the last 14 days with a 25% K rate. Going even further, Buehler has an electric four-seam fastball(avg 96.7 mph) and Giants rank dead last against fastballs this season. Fire up Buehler in all formats. *It will be Julio Urias making the start for the Dodgers shifting my cash game focus to Jake Odorizzi tonight. Urias can be used in GPP formats.* Jose Suarez FD - P 6300 DK - SP 8500 Opponent - TOR (Clayton Richard) Park - TOR FD - 26.3 DK - 13.61 For value tonight, my eyes immediately locked on Jose Suarez who is a -150 favorite making his fourth career start. He has given up eight earned runs in 16 innings(4.50 ERA/5.56 xFIP) but the good news is that he has limited opponents to a 26% hard contact rate and while the K rate(20%) is below average he is operating with an elite 14% swinging strike rate telling me there are more K's to come for the 21-year-old. More good news as he gets a plus matchup against a Jays team that struggles to score runs and has been a bottom five offense against lefties with a .288 wOBA, 79 wRC+, and 14% K rate. Suarez makes a value SP2 on DraftKings and an excellent punt GPP play on FanDuel allowing you to stack any team you wish. Also Consider: Jake Odorizzi(MIN)  Catcher/First Base Matt Adams FD - 1B 3000 DK - 1B 4600 Opponent - PHI (Nick Pivetta) Park - WSH FD - 12.15 DK - 9.17 I am not overly excited about this position tonight, at least for cash games. Because of this,...